Multiplayer
Multiplayer is a mode in Plants vs. Zombies Heroes which the player gets to play against other players in real-time. The player gets to choose between the plant's or the zombie's side, where the player will fight a plant or zombie hero, depending on which side they chose, similar to regular missions. It is unlocked after beating the game's tutorial. This mode requires an internet connection to be accessed. Gameplay Upon entering, the player is presented with a menu to play two modes: Casual and Ranked matches. In Casual Mode, there is no penalty for losses, but there is no winning prize other than Tickets. This game mode is more suitable to test new decks whose utility the player isn't sure about, to learn new battling skills, or to prepare for Ranked Matches. In Ranked Matches, there is a leveling system that determines the skills of the player. Winning rewards the player with Stars, while losing takes some depending on the league. Ranked matches also feature seasons, which last for five weeks and will reward the player with prize piñatas depending on their final standings. These piñatas contain a number of card packs; both for Set 1 and Set 2. At the start of each season, the player will start their season from a specified league depending on their final standings in the previous season. For example, if the player ended their season in the Gold League, they will start their next season at the Bronze League. The player is free to choose which hero to play as and which deck to use, as there is no obligation. However, depending on which side their hero belongs to, the player will be matched up against another player on the other side. Before the battle, each player gets to shuffle their first four cards. During this section, the player has 30 seconds to shuffle the first four cards. If the timer ticks to zero, the game starts right away. Once both players have confirmed their given cards, each player will be given a free superpower to start with, after which the battle starts. There will always be a lane for heights at the far left, and a lane for water at the far right. The setting of the battle area is randomized between the available areas, including the playing field, where plants and zombies are seen in the background watching the game. However, the match remains the same as other matches in multiplayer. A timer is added, which is placed under the cursor showing the phases of the battle; lasting close to 1 minute for each phase. The timer can stop for a while when a fighter's ability animation is played. Once the timer ticks to zero, the phase ends right away. If a player takes too long to respond, the game will end with that player conceding automatically. If a player concedes or disconnects from the game (via internet disconnection, leaving the app, or answering a phone/FaceTime call for too long), their opponent will win the game in advance. Ranking Depending on ranks, certain elements change. *'Wood League' (Ranks 1-4): **5 stars are required to rank up; **Each win adds 3 stars; **Each win streak adds 2 more stars; **No stars are lost for a loss; **Ranking up in this league the rewards the player with 10 . *'Bronze League' (Ranks 5-9): **Reaching this league rewards the player with 50 ; **5 stars are required to rank up; **Each win adds 2 stars; **Each win streak adds 2 more stars; **No stars are lost for a loss; **Ranking up in this league the rewards the player with 15 . *'Silver League' (Ranks 10-19): **Reaching this league rewards the player with 100 ; **5 stars are required to rank up; **Each win adds 2 stars; **Each win streak adds 1 more star; **No stars are lost for a loss; **Ranking up in this league the rewards the player with 20 . *'Gold League' (Ranks 20-29) **Reaching this league rewards the player with 150 ; **5 stars are required to rank up; **Each win adds 1 star. **Each win streak adds 1 more star; **Each loss takes away 1 star; **Ranking up in this league the rewards the player with 25 . *'Diamond League' (Ranks 30-39): **Reaching this league rewards the player with 200 ; **5 stars are required to rank up; **Each win adds 1 star; **No stars are awarded for a win streak; **Each loss takes away 1 star; **Ranking up in this league the rewards the player with 30 . *'Taco League' (Ranks 40-49): **Reaching this league rewards the player with 250 ; **5 stars are required to rank up; **Each win adds 1 star; **No stars are awarded for a win streak; **Each loss takes away 1 star; **Ranking up in this league the rewards the player with 35 . *'Ultimate League' (Rank 50) **Reaching this league rewards the player with 300 ; **There is no rank, but the player can earn as many stars as they can; **Each win adds 1 star; **No stars are awarded for a win streak; **Each loss takes away 1 star. Rank pictures Depending on the rank, the player also gets an avatar. If the player is connected to Facebook in the game, it is replaced with their Facebook avatar. *Rank 1: Baby Wall-Nut (age selection screen) *Rank 2: Boy Wall-Nut (age selection screen) *Rank 3: Wall-Nut *Rank 4: Weenie Beanie *Rank 5: Zombie Chicken *Rank 6: Peashooter *Rank 7: Repeater *Rank 8: Snow Pea *Rank 9: Pea Pod *Rank 10: Sunflower *Rank 11: Power Flower *Rank 12: Conehead *Rank 13: Team Mascot *Rank 14: Snorkel Zombie *Rank 15: Mini-Ninja *Rank 16: Jester *Rank 17: Vimpire *Rank 18: Potato Mine *Rank 19: Bloomerang *Rank 20: Sting Bean *Rank 21: Grow-Shroom *Rank 22: Guacodile *Rank 23: Squash *Rank 24: Zombie Coach *Rank 25: Coffee Zombie *Rank 26: Arm Wrestler *Rank 27: Brain Vendor *Rank 28: Fume-Shroom *Rank 29: Torchwood *Rank 30: Spineapple *Rank 31: Cat Lady *Rank 32: Gentleman Zombie *Rank 33: Trash Can Zombie *Rank 34: Haunting Zombie *Rank 35: Disco Zombie *Rank 36: Prickly Pear *Rank 37: Muscle Sprout *Rank 38: Cactus *Rank 39: Smashing Pumpkin *Rank 40: Three-Headed Chomper *Rank 41: Tomb Raiser Zombie (formerly Ra Zombie) *Rank 42: Undying Pharaoh *Rank 43: Octo Zombie *Rank 44: Bananasaurus Rex *Rank 45: Kernel Corn (formerly Smashing Gargantuar ) *Rank 46: Deep Sea Gargantuar *Rank 47: Captain Deadbeard *Rank 48: Zombot Sharktronic Sub *Rank 49: Zombot 1000 *Rank 50: Dark Matter Dragonfruit (formerly Mirror-Nut and Cornucopia) Strategy Since in this mode there will be real-life opponents, some that will likely have more cards in their collections than you. In early ranks, simply try to win since losing will not punish you. However, when you face tougher opponents, you will have to deal with stronger cards, so be aware. Do not use weak decks on higher leagues, since you will likely lose repeatedly and lose multiple stars. If you don't want to lose stars, or you're not sure about the deck you are using, try Casual mode for practice. Since each season will end with a prize piñata, try to rank as high as you can. This can also be useful for the next season so you can advance faster once the next season starts. It is recommended to have a great Wi-Fi, since it is possible to suddenly disconnect and lose the round; especially if you have stars. If needed, you may have to test your Wi-Fi or use cellular data. Trivia *As of the worldwide release, Multiplayer battles can also pick a theme that appears in plant and zombie missions. *As of the 1.12.16 update, the player can also see their opponent name in the battle. In ranked multiplayer, it also shows the rank level. *The game attempts to use match files in attempt to ensure that both are the same to prevent cheating. Should a player try to cheat in a way that the file doesn't match the opponent in some way, the game will create the "There is a problem with your game" message and make the opponent win. *If the player closes the app after a Ranked Battle loss, but before they lose their stars, they will lose their star (or stars if they did it repeatedly) when they complete another battle. If they win that battle, they will not earn any stars, and instead, lose them.